The name Telangana is thought to have been derived from the word Trilinga, as in the Trilinga Desa, which translates to "the country of the three lingas". According to a Hindu legend, Shiva descended in the lingam form on three mountains, Kaleshwaram, Srisailam and Draksharama, which marked the boundaries of the Trilingadesa, later called Telinga, Telunga or Telugu.[6][7]

The word "Telinga" changed over time to "Telangana" and the name "Telangana" was designated to distinguish the predominantly Telugu-speaking region of the erstwhile Hyderabad State from its predominantly Marathi-speaking one, Marathwada.[8]

One of the earliest uses of a word similar to Telangana can also be seen in a name of Malik Maqbul (14th century C.E.), who was called the Tilangani, which implies that he was from Tilangana. He was the commander of the Warangal Fort (Kataka Pāludu).[9]

The Telangana area experienced its golden age during the reign of the Kakatiya dynasty , which ruled most parts of the present day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from 1083 to 1323 CE.[11]Rudrama Devi and Prataparudra II were prominent rulers from the Kakatiya dynasty. The dynasty weakened with the attack of Malik Kafur in 1309 and was dissolved after the defeat of Prataparudra by the forces of Muhammad bin Tughluq in 1323.[12][13]

Prior to Kakatiyas coming to rule, the region comprising the current Adilabad or Edlabad (Edla from Gondi word for people in the highland woods), Karimnagar (Elgandal or Elgondal from Gond), Warangal (Orangal from Gond and Orukal from Tamil), Khammam, Medak and Nizamabad districts were originally inhabitted by the Gonds and Kannadas. Of the Kannada kingdoms, Western Chalukyas and Kakateeyas are most noted. Southern Telangana was wholly Kannada at the time. Beginning as subordinates of Chalukyas of Badami, the Kakatiyas very rapidly disowned their Kannada origins and began to promote Telugu. Kakateeyas replaced Kannada with Telugu as official after gaining the Eastern Chalukyan provinces which were Telugu. After the fall of the Kakateeyas, Marathi and Kannada had the most influence after Urdu. The language of Gondi did not gain prominence and Telugu established by the Kakateeyas also lost prominence. Later the region was ruled by many Muslim rulers. Prior to the formation of the linguistic states, Adilabad district was called as Sirpur-Tandur or Amaldari and it was part of Bidar and Marathwada regions at different periods. Though most of the population of Adilabad was still of Gond, Urdu and Marathi origin prior to 1956, the region became a part of the Telugu linguistic state. Since 1956, Telugu gained prominence and replaced Gondi, official Kannada, official Marathi and official Urdu entirely.

In 1712, Qamar-ud-din Khan was appointed by emperor Farrukhsiyar as the viceroy of Deccan with the title Nizam-ul-Mulk (meaning "Administrator of the Realm"). He was later recalled to Delhi, with Mubariz Khan appointed as the viceroy. In 1724, Qamar-ud-din Khan defeated Mubariz Khan to reclaim the Deccan suba, establishing it as an autonomous province of the Mughal empire. He took the name Asif Jah, starting what came to be known as the Asif Jahi dynasty.[11] He named the area Hyderabad Deccan. Subsequent rulers retained the title Nizam ul-Mulk and were called Asif Jahi nizams or nizams of Hyderabad. The Medak and Warangal divisions of Telengana were part of their realm.[15]

When India became independent from the British Empire in 1947, the nizam of Hyderabad did not want to merge with the Indian Union and wanted to remain independent. The Government of India annexed Hyderabad State on 17 September 1948 after a military operation called Operation Polo.[11] It appointed a civil servant, M. K. Vellodi, as first chief minister of Hyderabad State on 26 January 1950.[16] He administered the state with the help of English-educated bureaucrats from the Madras and Bombay states, who were familiar with Indian systems of administration unlike the bureaucrats of Hyderabad state who used a completely different administrative system. The official language of the state was switched from Urdu to English.

In 1952, Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was elected chief minister of the Hyderabad State in its first democratic election. During this time, there were violent agitations by some Telanganites to send the Madras state bureaucrats back and implement a rule by the natives (mulkis) of Hyderabad.[17]

The revolt began in the Nalgonda district against the feudal lords of Reddy and Velama castes. It quickly spread to the Warangal and Bidar districts. Peasant farmers and labourers revolted against the local feudal landlords (jagirdars and deshmukhs) and later against the nizam Osman Ali Khan. The violent phase of the movement ended after the Government of India's Operation Polo.[19] Starting in 1951, the CPI shifted to a more moderate strategy of seeking to bring communism to India within the framework of Indian democracy.[20]

In December 1953, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was appointed to form states on a linguistic basis.[21] An agreement was reached between Telangana leaders and Andhra leaders on 20 February 1956 to merge Telangana and Andhra with promises to safeguard Telangana's interests.[22] After reorganisation in 1956, the region of Telangana was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh.

There have been several movements to revoke the merger of Telangana and Andhra, major ones occurring in 1969, 1972, and 2009. The movement for a new state of Telangana gained momentum over the decades.[26] On 9 December 2009 the Government of India announced the process of formation of the Telangana state. Violent protests led by people in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalseema regions occurred immediately after the announcement, and the decision was put on hold on 23 December 2009.

In 2009, the book "My Telugu Roots" was published by local author Nalamotu Chakravarthy, arguing strongly against the formation of a separate Telangana State, calling it "historically illegitimate, morally reprehensible, culturally ruinous, economically disastrous, and strategically suicidal".[27]

The movement continued in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana.[28] There have been hundreds of claimed suicides,[29] strikes, protests and disturbances to public life demanding separate statehood.

On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution to recommend the formation of a separate Telangana state. After various stages the bill was placed in the Parliament in February 2014.[30] In February 2014, Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 bill was passed by the Parliament of India for the formation of Telangana state comprising ten districts from north-western Andhra Pradesh.[31] The bill received the assent of the President and published in the Gazette on 1 March 2014.[32]

The state of Telangana was officially formed on 2 June 2014. Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao was elected as the first chief minister of Telangana, following elections in which the Telangana Rashtra Samiti party secured majority.[33] Hyderabad will remain as the joint capital of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period of 10 years.[34]

Telangana is situated on the Deccan Plateau, in the central stretch of the eastern seaboard of the Indian Peninsula. It covers 114,840 square kilometres (44,340 sq mi). The region is drained by two major rivers, with about 79% of the Godavari River catchment area and about 69% of the Krishna River catchment area, but most of the land is arid.[4] Telangana is also drained by several minor rivers such as the Bhima, the Manjira and the Musi.

The annual rainfall is between 900 to 1500 mm in northern Telangana and 700 to 900 mm in southern Telangana, from the southwest monsoons. Various soil types abound, including chalkas, red sandy soils, dubbas, deep red loamy soils, and very deep b.c. [clarification needed] soils that facilitate planting mangoes, oranges and flowers.[35] About 45% of the forest area of previous Andhra Pradesh state is located in five districts of Telangana.

Telangana is a semi-arid area and has a predominantly hot and dry climate. Summers start in March, and peak in May with average high temperatures in the 42 °C (108 °F) range. The monsoon arrives in June and lasts until September with about 755 mm (29.7 inches) of precipitation. A dry, mild winter starts in late November and lasts until early February with little humidity and average temperatures in the 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) range.

Sacred groves are small areas of forest preserved by local people. Sacred groves provide sanctuary to the local flora and fauna. Some are included within other protected areas, like Kadalivanam in Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, but most stand alone. There are 65 sacred groves Telangana – two in Adilabad district, thirteen in Hyderabad district, four in Karimnagar district, four in Khammam district, nine in Mahbubnagar district, four in Medak district, nine in Nalgonda district, ten in Ranga Reddy district, and three in Warangal district.[37]

Executive authority is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister, although the titular head of government is the Governor. The Governor is the head of state appointed by the President of India. The leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister by the Governor, and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Council of Ministers reports to the Legislative Assembly.

About 77% of the population of Telangana speak Telugu, 12% speak Urdu, and 13% speak other languages.[41][42] Before 1948, Urdu was the official language of Hyderabad State, and due to a lack of Telugu-language educational institutions, Urdu was the language of the educated elite of Telangana. After 1948, once Hyderabad State joined the new Republic of India, Telugu became the language of government, and as Telugu was introduced as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges, the use of Urdu among non-Muslims decreased.[43]

According to the 2011 census, Telangana's literacy rate is 67.22%.[44] Male literacy and female literacy are 75.6% and 58.77% respectively. Hyderabad district leading with 80.96% and Mahboobnagar district at the bottom with 56.06%.[45]

The Economy of Telangana is mainly driven by agriculture. Two important rivers of India, the Godavari and Krishna, flow through the state, providing irrigation. Farmers in Telangana mainly depend on rain-fed water sources for irrigation. Rice is the major food crop. other important crops are cotton, sugar cane, mango and tobacco are the local crops. Recently, crops used for vegetable oil production such as sunflower and peanuts have gained favour. There are many multi-state irrigation projects in development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, the world's highest masonry dam.[46][47]

The state has also started to focus on the fields of information technology and biotechnology. Telangana is one of top IT exporting states of India. There are 68 Special Economic Zones in the state.[48]

Telangana is a mineral-rich state, with coal reserves at Singareni Colleries.[49]

Rice is the major food crop and staple food of the state. Other important crops are Maize, Tobacco, Mango, Cotton and Sugar cane.[50] Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the state's economy. Important rivers of India, the Godavari, Krishna flow through the state, providing irrigation. Apart from major rivers, there are small rivers as Tunga Bhadra, Bima, Dindi, Kinnerasani, Manjeera, Manair, Penganga, Pranahitha, peddavagu and Taliperu.There are many multi-state irrigation projects in development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, the world's highest masonry dam.[51]

Agri Export Zones for the following produce are proposed at the places mentioned against them:

Several major manufacturing and services industries are in operation mainly around Hyderabad. Automobiles and auto components industry, spices, mines and minerals, textiles and apparels, pharmaceutical, horticulture, poultry farming are the main industries in Telangana.[52] In terms of services, Hyderabad is usually nicknamed as Cyberabad due to its information technology foray and location of major software industries in the city.[53][54] Prior to secession, it contributed 15% to India's and 98% to Andhra Pradesh's exports in IT and ITES sectors last 2013[55] With Hyderabad as in the front line of Telangana's aims to promote information technology in India, the city boasts the HITEC City as its premier hub.

The state government is in the process of developing Industrial Parks at different places, for specific groups of industries. The existing parks are Software Park at Hyderabad, HITEC City for software units, Apparel Park at Gundlapochampalli, Export Promotion Park at Pashamylaram, Bio-technology park at Turkapally.[citation needed]

Hydel and thermal power projects in the state meets the power requirements of the State. Number of new power projects are coming up in the State which is expected to generate additional power capacity in the state.

The history of railways in this region dates back to the time of nizam of Hyderabad in 1874.[62] It operates under the auspices of the South Central Railway founded in 1966. The landmark building Rail Nilayam in Secunderabad is the Zonal Headquarter office of South Central Railway. Secunderabad and Hyderabad are the main divisions of South Central Railway that fall in the state.[63]

Telangana culture combines cultural customs from Persian traditions, embedded during rule of the region by the Moghuls, Qutub Shahis and Nizams, with prominent and predominantly south Indian traditions and customs. The State has a rich tradition in classical music, painting and folk arts such as Burra katha, shadow puppet show, and perini Shiva Tandavam, Gusadi Dance, Kolatam.

[Alampur Jogulamba temple (also known as Dakshina Kashi or Navabrahmeshwara Theertha)-a famous temple located in Mahabub nagar Dist. Jogulamba (also known as Yogulamba/Yogamba) is one of the eighteen Shakti peethas]

Vemulawada - Sri Raja Rajeswara Swami temple is a very famous temple also called as Dakhshina (South) Kasi. This temple was built by

Chalukya kings between the 750 A.D and 973 A.D. This town is very busy and visited by devotees from all over the state for the Shivratri festival every year. There are few other very old and historic temples in the town of Vemulawada, Karimnagar District.

Keesaragutta Ramalingeshwara Swamy temple is very famous. Shivratri is very well celebrated every year.

Ramappa Temple is an unbelievably architecture located near Mulugu which is 70 km away from Warangal

Telangana has multiple institutes of higher education universities along with numerous primary and secondary schools.The state is home to a number of institutes, which impart higher education. The Department of Higher Education deals with matters relating to education at various levels in the State of telangana

NIT Warangal main gate

The Government has established Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) in 2008 to cater to the educational needs of the gifted rural youth of Telangana.[67] The higher education includes many colleges, universities and research institutes providing professional education in the fields of arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, business, and veterinary sciences, with undergraduate and post graduation.